Sharks-Canucks Preview

Associated Press

Matchups with San Jose usually help Henrik Sedin and his twin brother Daniel get on the scoresheet. The Sharks, though, are the only team to hold the two Vancouver Canucks forwards without a point this season.

Led by the red-hot Sedins, the Canucks look to avenge a season-opening loss to the Sharks when the teams continue their season series Monday night.

Vancouver's 3-1 defeat to San Jose on Oct. 5 marked the only time it's been held under two goals this season. The Sharks did it by keeping the Sedins scoreless.

Daniel Sedin came in with three goals and eight assists in his previous 10 games against the Sharks, while brother Henrik had one goal and eight assists in his previous seven against them.

The twins, however, have bounced back nicely since that game, combining for four goals and 10 assists in four games to lead the team with seven points apiece. Henrik Sedin set up Daniel for two goals 2:18 apart in the second period to help the Canucks (3-2-0) sweep back-to-back games from Edmonton with a 4-1 win Saturday night.

Vancouver lost its first two home games by a combined 11-3, but followed up a 5-2 win at Edmonton on Friday by beating the Oilers again Saturday for its first win of the season at GM Place.

Roberto Luongo has settled down after a rough start, stopping 55 of 58 shots for a .948 save percentage in the home-and-home set with the Oilers. He had a 4.22 goals-against average in his first three games.

"When the guys are there to take away sticks and clear away rebounds it makes my job a lot easier," Luongo said.

San Jose (2-2-1), meanwhile, tied a franchise record by holding Boston to no shots in the second period Saturday night, but Aaron Ward scored for the Bruins with 12 seconds left as the Sharks lost 2-1.

San Jose dropped its home opener despite allowing two goals or less for the third time this season.

San Jose pulled Evgeni Nabokov in the final minute, and the move paid off as Milan Michalek tied the game with 38 seconds remaining before Ward's decisive goal.

Michalek leads the Sharks with three goals after scoring a career-high 26 last season. He has two goals and five assists in his last seven games against Vancouver.

San Jose center Jeremy Roenick was scratched Saturday after suffering a slight knee injury in a 2-1 win over Chicago on Wednesday night, and is uncertain for Monday's game. Roenick's only two goals of the season were against Vancouver, his 496th and 497th to move him closer to becoming the third American-born player with 500.

Roenick has 25 goals and 37 assists in 53 games against the Canucks.

San Jose is 7-3-1 with two ties in Vancouver since the start of the 2000-01 season.